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A Reason to Pray

May 4, 2010 in Prayer, Progress, Thanks by Dave | 3 comments

If you needed a reason to pray for your itinerating missionaries, this weekend surely made our need all the more apparent as torrential rain and floodwaters nearly stranded us in the state of Tennessee on Saturday.

We were travelling from Dalton, GA to Caruthersville, MO, returning from services in Georgia and a family reunion in South Carolina. We were on our way back to Missouri on Saturday morning via I-24 and I-40 with hopes to spend a leisurely afternoon with the Titus family, pastors of Caruthersville First, before holding services the next day in the Kennett section of the Southern Missouri District.

Things progressed as expected until just after lunchtime as we reached the Murfreesboro area. As we continued west, the skies opened up soaking the roads and slowing our momentum to 40 miles per hour at times on 70 mile per hour freeways. This kept up for at least an hour, finally breaking as we passed through Nashville. However, just as we thought that the worst was over, our progress ground to a halt in front of a river that had overflowed it’s banks and now crossed the entire highway.

The next two hours were spent in a number of switchbacks as we looked for a suitable detour. We traveled across US-70 through the flooded Dickson and then onto Waverly, where the river had virtually cut off that town from the highway. We crossed the water to travel down route 13 only to be turned back again 4 miles from rejoining I-40. We drove back to US-70 then and on to route 641 where we were finally able to regain I-40 and continue our forward progress toward the boot heel of Missouri.

As we looked to the right and the left of the roadways, everything seemed to be underwater–houses, businesses, churches and farms. The water was everywhere and seemingly in everything. By the time that we made it through Dyersburg and across the Mississippi it was well after 8:00 PM, and we were overjoyed to have reached Missouri and our journey’s end.

As we traveled, there were moments when I doubted that we would be able to make it through. I second guessed our decisions to continue, thinking perhaps that it might have been safer to stop and attempt forward progress at a later time. However, after spending a stormy night in the hotel in Missouri, I was confident that the urgency that I had felt to press on was well founded. The situation only got worse the following day in Tennessee.

So I am thankful that God had His hand upon us, guiding us through. And I am grateful for the prayers of those who stand behind us, as much during our itineration as during our time on the field. We appreciate this much needed support!

Still, as I am glad to be home to tell my tale, my heart goes out to the many who weren’t able to escape the flooding–those who lost possessions, homes, even loved ones to the raging waters. One quote from a news story read, “I know God doesn’t give us more than we can take, but I’m at my breaking point.” As you pray for us, please lift up these who are now suffering in the devastation through which we were guided this past Saturday.

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Getting Back to Our Roots

April 17, 2010 in Day2Day, Ministry, Missions by Dave | 2 comments

This last weekend was full of amazing coincidences. It started on Friday evening. Headed down to Nederland, Texas for services with Greg and Amanda Swafford, we stopped for a night with friends Brian and Jessica Fisher in Frisco, just north of Dallas. They had apologized earlier in the week for having to attend a minor league baseball game while we were there, but being the flexible, baseball loving missionaries that we are, we were up for the outing. Imagine our surprise, however, when we found that the game was between the hometown Frisco Rough Riders and the visiting Springfield Cardinals! We got a chance to root for our hometown team in Texas!

The real treat came following our weekend. Our nine hour trip back from services with Danny and Stephanie Baker in Leesville, Lousiana would take us past Hot Springs, Arkansas, the birthplace of the Assemblies of God. We debated the visit, as the side trip would certainly kill our ETA, but our debate ended as we researched the stop. The first General Council which gave rise to the Assemblies of God took place from April 2nd until the 12th, 1914. It just so happened that on Monday we were passing by Hot Springs on our denomination’s birthday!

We called area churches and were directed to the spot which sits on Bath House Row in downtown Hot Springs. The plaque, laid on the 60th anniversary of the event, is the only physical remnant of the former Hot Springs Opera House where the council took place. It’s easily overlooked as visitors pass by, many without even looking down at the inscription affixed to the cement, but for us it has special significance.

On Monday, April 12, 2010, 96 years after the event, we found ourselves returning to our roots, and as our feet surrounded the memorial plaque, we reflected on the principles that brought about the founding of the Assemblies of God–evangelism, missions, and ministerial training. We’re glad that now, almost 100 years after its organization, those principles are still at the forefront of its agenda. What’s even more humbling is that we’re able to serve as its representatives as we emphasize evangelism, missions, and ministerial training, making disciples in the Yucatán.

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Praying for a Resurrection

April 3, 2010 in Prayer by Dave | 1 comment

Dave Greco, our area director, emailed us in anticipation of this Sunday’s celebration of the Resurrection. In his email, he reflected on a missiology lecture given during his days at language school. In the lecture, the guest speaker recounted the events of Christ’s passion–the betrayal of a friend, the abandonment of his followers, the mockery of a trial that led to his execution, even a plot used to cover up the resurrection. He reviewed them all to emphasize his point. “God is not limited by circumstances. He is well able to work His will, even in corrupt situations.”

Even though it seemed that Satan was given a free hand to accomplish his will, even though it seemed that everything that could go wrong did, the empty tomb on Sunday morning proved that God still won the day.

As we look at the situation in Mexico, it may seem that evil has had it’s way. The news reports of assassinations, kidnapings, and war between drug traffickers and the government paint a desperate picture, but God is not limited by circumstances.

So this month, on the eve of the celebration of our Savior’s resurrection, I’d ask that you’d pray, that in the midst of this corrupt situation that God would show himself to be sovereignly in control in Mexico. Pray that in this country where sin seems to increase, that grace might increase all the more. Pray that where evil has held this country in slavery redemption might occur, and that where hope seems to have died, a resurrection might take place.

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In This for the Long Haul

March 24, 2010 in Missions, Progress by Dave | 9 comments

It’s official! We’ve just received notice from Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), our missions sending agency, of our status change from Special Assignment to Appointed General Missionaries.

What does that mean? Well Special Assignment Missionaries are contracted to work for a period of time. They are called in in specialized circumstances for specific jobs. Appointed General Missionaries are missionaries who believe that God has called them to a lifetime of missionary service and who are involved in general missionary work from church planting and construction to Bible School ministry and leadership development.

While we always felt and communicated our lifetime commitment to missions, this status change marks for us the maturation of our calling in the eyes of AGWM. It’s a recognition of our ministry and the communication of their belief that the Lord will continue to use us to fulfill his purpose to win the world for Christ.

So celebrate with us! This is a milestone that we’ve achieved with your help. Pray for us as well that we’ll continue to merit the favor that we’ve been shown over the long haul.

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The Spring Newsletter is Available!

March 15, 2010 in Media, Progress by Dave | Permalink

ENewsSpr10Has it been three months already? That must mean that it is time for another newsletter! Click on the image above or here in order to read the two page electronic version of our print newsletter.



To open the PDF file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. To get Acrobat, go here: https://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

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Getting to the Positive Side of Inertia

March 13, 2010 in Ministry, Missions by Dave | Permalink

People have asked me (Dave) as we have been on the road visiting churches, “What is the most difficult problem facing the Mexican church today?” To that question I have always answered this way: “The greatest problem of the Mexican church, and the church worldwide is inertia.”

Now I understand that a word like inertia may stir up memories of tenth grade physics class, but give me a minute to explain.

When it comes to momentum, inertia can be described as the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest. My old friend Gilbert could explain it best. He would sit in his chair after a long day working in the Evangel University Chapel and deadpan, “I suffer from dropsy and heart failure. I’ve dropped down and don’t have the heart to get up!”
As a church, we can tend toward this negative aspect of inertia. In this day and age, we often look to the church as a type of refuge, a place to rest. While this is true, an over emphasis of this one aspect can lead to negative effects. We can get so used to sitting in the pew that we lose our heart to get back up to meaningfully engage the culture.

But we don’t need to be stuck in a state of inactivity. Inertia can also be described as the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion. The New Testament church is a clear example. Although certainly given to times of teaching and fellowship, their compassionate involvement in the community led to the Lord adding to their number daily those who were being saved. Success led to success. By the end of the book of Acts, Christianity was being preached and disciples were being made in the heart of the pagan Roman Empire.

But how do we return to Acts 2? How do we get to the positive side of inertia? It’s certainly more complicated than simply starting over. I believe that it is two-fold. First, it requires proclamation. A call must go out to return to the Bible, to the model of Jesus who was criticized for frequenting the homes of sinners. Second, it requires modeling, a living out of the biblical pattern. This is the vision that we feel that the Lord has given us for Mexico, to partner with the Mexican Assemblies of God, reaching, equipping, and releasing people to fulfill God’s redemptive purpose.

We proclaim as we train and equip, but we model as well, reaching out to the lost and giving opportunity to become salt and light, offering new life to others. This breathes new life into church programs that may have faltered along the way, and gives rise to new church plants that leverage positive inertia as disciples in turn make new disciples.

So inertia is the problem, but it can become the solution as well. The key is moving to the positive side. We believe we have the solution for Mexico, a solution that can be universally applied.

How about your situation? In which state of inertia would you describe it existing? How do you feel that the Lord would have you to keep the positive going, or to turn around a negative situation?

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Unexpected Encounters

March 5, 2010 in Day2Day, Prayer by Dave | 2 comments

Since we’ve been back from the field I would say that the #1 change for us has been the McDonald’s experience. Moving itself from a kid magnet restaurant barely tolerated by adults, McDonald’s has remade itself with drinkable coffee, a new menu, and a new look. Now, when the kids say, “Let’s go to McDonald’s,” more often than not we say, “OK!” More recently, my reduced ambivalence to this nearly ubiquitous eating establishment set up an opportunity to minister.

It all started when Brad Keller, a fellow minister, scoping out a spot to set up his Mac to catch some free wi-fi, greeted a twenty-something guy named Ricky. After exchanging some greetings and comments about the technology that we were pulling from our bags, Ricky asked us what it was that we did. It was as though he was asking us to tell him about Jesus.

I began by giving him my prayer card and explaining my mission of calling Mexicans into relationship with Jesus. He responded almost immediately with a smokescreen of excuses for not attending church. I sensed from this that Ricky was seeking, but he wanted someone to help him justify his practice of keeping the spiritual at arm’s length. I listened to what he had to say, but I gave him no justifications.

When he spoke of ministers that fail, I responded with statistics that I had heard only earlier that day that it takes some 300 A/G ministers in order to come up with only two moral failures. When he talked about judgmental churches, I encouraged him to talk to two separate ministers that lived in his area that I was sure would welcome him as he was and help him on his spiritual journey. When he brought up others’ experiences, I asked him to look to his own and to understand that he needed a personal relationship with the only on who could settle his questioning; he needed to encounter Jesus.

So I want to thank McDonald’s. Because of their change, they made possible my encounter with a searching heart. I’d also like to ask for prayer for Ricky and his friends. They have my card. They have names of pastors that they can talk to. Let’s pray that they’ll take the next step on their spiritual journey toward Christ.

Photo from LancerE’s flickr photostream

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Sectional Council Tours–Coming to a Southern MO town near you!

February 22, 2010 in Progress by Dave | Permalink

Even in the dead of the winter, the travel schedule is heating up, as we’ve taken to the road for the 2010 Sectional Council tours here in the Southern MO District. These tours, moving through all 13 sections in the district take place roughly in the span of a week and a half and give us one of our best opportunities to reconnect with pastors and church staff all across Southern Missouri.

Things got rolling in Kansas City last Tuesday, but the lion’s share of the travel began today with meetings in Dexter and Portageville.

The schedule will go on through March 2 as follows:

Tuesday, February 23
Park Hills, Park Hills Harvest Christian Center
St. Louis, St. Louis Trinity A/G

Thursday, February 25
Sullivan, Rolla Calvary A/G
Sedalia, Jefferson City First

Friday, February 26
Clinton, Osceola First
Joplin, Mt. Vernon Church on the Loop

Monday, March 1
West Plains, Willow Springs Lighthouse A/G
Van Buren, Winona A/G

Tuesday, March 2
Springfield South, District Office
Springfield North, Springfield Northside A/G

Look for us if you are planning to attend one of the above meetings.

It’s a Dangerous Business Going Out of Your Door

February 9, 2010 in Devotional by Dave | Permalink

It’s a dangerous business going out of your door. You step into the Road, and, if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. –Bilbo Baggins

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you… –Jesus

Rebekah has been reading the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein to me as we drive along the Missouri roadways visiting churches and speaking about Mexico. It’s a wonderful thing, hearing my daughter read what to me is a classic piece of literature. It is classic because, even decades after it was written, its message can still be heard and applied.

The story is basically about Hobbits, small and self-sufficient creatures, sheltered from the world, suspicious of strangers, with eyes that look no further than their bit of earth beyond their little holes. They had heard rumors of what went on outside their borders, but their small existence kept them from comprehending the ramifications of those strange and foreign goings on in their day to day lives. Until, one day, a not so adventurous Hobbit named Bilbo got swept off of his feet into an adventure. Suddenly, the hope of the world depended on this small, shy, and unassuming lot.

The disciples too had not seemed to seek out the adventure that they found themselves in as followers of Jesus. Most of them were outsiders, blue-collar workers more concerned with the ebb and flow of the Sea of Galilee than of the rise and fall of the religious “powers that were” in Jerusalem to the south. They busied themselves in their own routine of catching fish or collecting taxes, perhaps much like the Hobbits, without even categories to speak about saving the world. That is until Jesus came, and with the words, “Follow me,” they too were swept off of their feet, suddenly at the center of God’s plan to redeem mankind.

They had, no doubt, seen the harvest field before, but not as Jesus had shown it to them. It was a harvest, not of grain, but of souls. A common scene was given new meaning, and a common need, that of workers to bring in the harvest, was given new importance.

So Jesus called them, not to mobilization, but to prayer. However, as they prayed, they found that the answer was to be found within their own small band. The appeal to pray was not an impersonal one. It was not a way to “pass the buck.” It was a way to hear the cry of God saying, ” Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” and to respond as Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me,” or as the disciples with their feet as Jesus said, “Go! I am sending you…”

Let’s bring this, then, out of the realm of fantasy and out of the distant past to where we go about our daily lives. We wake. We work. We eat. We sleep. We certainly hear and see more than the Hobbits or the disciples, but too often those impersonal rumors on talk radio or the digital images on the screen seem incapable of grabbing us, seemingly impotent at their attempts to move us.

Except when we pray, and, all of a sudden, what seemed so far away has reached out and touched our hearts, and we hear the cry, “Who will go?” and we find ourselves, in our own small voice responding as Frodo the Hobbit before the leaders at the Council of Elrond, “I will (go), though I do not know the way.”

It is a dangerous business, therefore, to pray, but what more exciting business could you ever hope to aspire to?

Photo “Archway” by Syriloth on Flickr

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Making a Comeback

January 26, 2010 in Progress by Dave | Permalink

Everyone loves to hear of a great comeback story, be it an individual overcoming adversity to make it back on top, a favorite music group returning to the stage, or a sports team returning to its former glory. We love it because we appreciate how hard it is to repeat success. Athletes age, teams change players, and taste preferences in music seem to change with the fashions. So when the comeback happens, we realize that we a receiving a gift, something truly special.

Allow me to let you in on a comeback in progress…

This last year, I ran a marathon. I finished in the best time in which I’d ever run a marathon: 3 hours 37 minutes and 52 seconds. It was a great moment. However, that run has left me on the sidelines, stuck with a leg injury that has persisted for 3 months and counting. On top of that, during my examination, my doctor found that I also have arthritis in my ailing right leg, perhaps complicating my recovery. Some would say it’s time to hang up the running shoes. I say it’s time for a comeback.

Six months ago, we were on the field in Mexico wrapping up our first term as missionaries in the state of Yucatan. We were elated to have played a small part in the successes in the lives of students and pastors with whom we had ministered. We had built relationships and were looking toward opportunities to leverage these successes in future ministry. However, eight months away from our scheduled return date, we have a mountain of monthly support to raise, currently at the height of some $2,000. Some would despair at such a goal to reach. I say, “It’s comeback time.”

So rally cap in place, I’m starting the process to return, understanding that the recipe for success probably will change. As I built up for the marathon last year. I added on mileage slowly but surely until I reached a 50 mile per week peak during my high intensity marathon training. This time, I’ve got more than a mileage buildup to concern myself with. I’ve got an injury to figure out and a recovery to plan. So, I’m currently going through physical therapy twice a week with the goal to return to running. I’m also looking to alternative methods to promote healing from self-massage to chiropractic care. I’m also dedicating myself to nutrition, making sure that my tank is full of the fuel I need to power this comeback. Do I have a timetable? Sure, I’d like to see myself in a 10k race some time this spring.

Our return to Mexico can be thought of similarly. We’ve come back to the States to raise our budget in an economic recession, meaning many potential donors are feeling the budgetary pinch. We’re also returning to a Southern Missouri District that has 7 other missionary families currently raising support at the same time we are. However, we live in a time where connections are more diverse and easily sustainable and potential audiences are more abundant. We plan to leverage these connections, networking as we are able to reach these future partners, and maintaining that partnership with them through tools we never dreamed of only four years ago.

Of course, in all of this, one thing has not changed. We serve the same God who is able to to exceedingly and abundantly more than we ask, think or imagine. So while we work on this comeback as though it all depended on us, we pray knowing that it all depends upon Him. He is the one who provides the breakthroughs, stirs hearts, and cements friendships through whatever medium those contacts occur.

So I’m making a comeback, physically and ministerially, and I’m committed to putting in the work, while depending on God for the results. Wanna come along? There’s still room on the bandwagon!

How about you? Are you poised for a comeback? How do you see it happening? Have any tips that we all could benefit from?

Photo: Rally Cap by Rich Anderson

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